WHERE
Flipping through the Designer’s Guide, you won’t question why—with parents both born in Italy and hence a love of all things Italian—Fili chose the path of the professional designer. On her first visit to Italy at age 16 (“before I knew what graphic design actually was,” she admits), Fili was awestruck by the graphics. “I marveled at how the simplest things were so beautifully packaged, like oranges mounded at fruit stands in their distinctive wrappers,” she remembers. “And so my life as an Italophile—and collectionista—began. I travel there at least once a year, and make a point of visiting a different region each time, as I have been documenting signage over the past 20 years. In the studio I have photos catalogued in albums, arranged by city, which is a great source of inspiration for me.” A Designer’s Guide to Italy was born.

WHEN
“Once I sat down to map it out, it was quite simple,” Fili explains. “All of my beloved ephemera had to be included, and finding a different printing technique to showcase each subject was an exciting challenge.” Darby Litho helped ease the process with its expertise—the Designer’s Guide surpassed what Fili envisioned. The printer used an eclectic array of techniques and papers, and included production notes on the final page. “I was very happy with the results, though I had naïvely expected it to be a faster turnaround,” admits Fili. “I was particularly pleased with the ex votos, which look exactly like the originals!”

WHY
“The book has been very well received,” says Fili. “If we ever recover from this one, the next scheduled volume is Paris. It is all planned out, but as I learned from volume one, that’s the easy part.” Although A Designer’s Guide to Italy was done in a very small edition, Fili and Darby Litho are offering copies of the guide for $50 each—this is deductible from the buyer’s first printing order with Darby. Once you see for yourself the amount of time and professional skill that went into the book from both sides, you’ll be convinced it’s money well spent. Buon viaggio!